Recruiting Practices

[SodiumFan[2]]

I went to a local High School varsity soccer game the other night and ran into a good friend of mine. We started talking and it turns out his daughter plays keeper for one of the teams. I told him I didn't think he lived in the area and he said, "I don't, the coach recruited his daughter after he saw her play at the club level."

Now, that got me thinking, so I went back and read some of the earlier posts by some folks and noticed that there were some who questioned the recruiting practices at the club level.

Example: Our team needed a keeper. We played a team that was not a gold team but their keeper was exceptional. We approached her (and her coach and her parents, it was completely out in the open) and now she is our keeper.

So I want to throw this out to whomever is left reading this forum; do you think it's OK for a coach (or a parent) of a club to approach a player from another club in an effort to see if there is any interested in joining? Do you see anything wrong with that? Is it OK at the High School or College level and not at the club level? What if a player is unhappy with their current situation? Is it OK then to approach them? If your son/daughter was approached by another club would you talk to them?

If you agree, why? If you disagree, why?

Thanks and I look forward to he feedback.

Cheers! :)

[Unregistered]

I know of players that are not even recruited because of the obnoxious behavior of their parents. It was that the parent is such a problem that taking on their child would cause more of a distraction with the team chemistry. Poor, poor child. Poor, poor parent.

[Unregistered]

I will give you my opinion on club as HS is a total different animal also take into account I am from Florida.

In most clubs there are poaching rules ( I do not necessarily agree with them but they exist) which means you cannot talk to a player or parent unless you have permission from their current club or the kids gets released.

If a kid is not happy or they have legitimate better opportunity with another team i see no reason why they should not be recruited. If the team recruiting lies to player and parents that I have a problem with.

[Unregistered]

I went to a local High School varsity soccer game the other night and ran into a good friend of mine. We started talking and it turns out his daughter plays keeper for one of the teams. I told him I didn't think he lived in the area and he said, "I don't, the coach recruited his daughter after he saw her play at the club level."

Now, that got me thinking, so I went back and read some of the earlier posts by some folks and noticed that there were some who questioned the recruiting practices at the club level.

Example: Our team needed a keeper. We played a team that was not a gold team but their keeper was exceptional. We approached her (and her coach and her parents, it was completely out in the open) and now she is our keeper.

So I want to throw this out to whomever is left reading this forum; do you think it's OK for a coach (or a parent) of a club to approach a player from another club in an effort to see if there is any interested in joining? Do you see anything wrong with that? Is it OK at the High School or College level and not at the club level? What if a player is unhappy with their current situation? Is it OK then to approach them? If your son/daughter was approached by another club would you talk to them?

If you agree, why? If you disagree, why?

Thanks and I look forward to he feedback.

Cheers! :)

Recruiting is done on the high school level and on the club level. There are rules for high school, like you have to live in the district, unless it is a private school, and then no athletic scholarships, only academic. I knew few schools that abid by this rule. Some are even really in your face and flaunt it. When my son went to high school we did not live in the district were he wanted to go to school, so we had to rent a small apt in that district. I went to his first soccer game, and came to find out the half the other team does not live in their district. I felt like a sucker.
Club soccer also has rules. No recruiting until after state cup. But coaches get around this all the time by asking parent or players to approach kids.
The example that you stated about the coaches meeting and deciding that a team switch would be in the best interest of the player, is great. That is the way that it Should happen, but doesn't, rarely.

[SodiumFan[2]]

I know of players that are not even recruited because of the obnoxious behavior of their parents. It was that the parent is such a problem that taking on their child would cause more of a distraction with the team chemistry. Poor, poor child. Poor, poor parent.

But couldn't the team overcome that issue by addressing it directly with the parent in question prior to extending an invitation to the player? Or better yet, make that part of the whole agreement? [We'll offer Johnny a position as long as you agree to...]

Or would that be considered too intrusive?

Thanks. :)

[Unregistered]

I see no problem with recruiting. The final decision is with the parents/player. What is the harm in asking a player to switch teams? My daughter was asked to play for another team, she was offered many perks as well. She declined as she loves her current team. No harm done by asking her though. FYI- This is club level and she is a U14.

[Tieyourshoes]

My daughter plays at both HS and Club level, and I'm a little surprised to hear that some public schools recruit players. All of the players at her school are students at the school who live in the area. From what I'm reading, it sounds like if you want your child to participate in sports or other activites at a certain school, you can say you live wherever you want. My thought is that at the high school level, the whole point is for kids from the same neighborhoods to play together to show school spirit/unity/whatever you want to call it. Since most kids who are looking to play at the next level after high school belong to a Club team, I'm not sure why you would want to go somewhere other than your home high school to play. From my perspective, the point of playing in high school is to be able to play with your classmates and show school pride. And if your team is really not very good but the player is good, as Sodium Fan pointed out, it will be recognized and opportunities will present themselves.

Having said that, I think recruitment at the Club level is fair game. You pay to belong to a club, and if you are not happy with that club, should take your money to where you feel you are getting what you want out of it. Even if a player is happy with a certain club, what's the harm in asking? You can always say no.

[thebes20]

Justices uphold high school anti-recruiting rule
By David G. Savage, Times Staff Writers and Eric Sondheimer, Times Staff Writers|June 22, 2007
WASHINGTON — High schools with big-time sports ambitions were dealt a setback Thursday when the Supreme Court upheld a rule that forbids coaches from recruiting young athletes.

In a 9-0 decision, the justices said the 1st Amendment's guarantee of free speech does not shield coaches who ignore the rules of fair competition by contacting students and encouraging them to enroll in their school.

[SodiumFan[2]]

Did we loose several posts on this thread? I thought there were a couple that listed legal articles as they pertained to this topic?

Strange.

[thebes20]

Did we loose several posts on this thread? I thought there were a couple that listed legal articles as they pertained to this topic?

Strange.

Yes, we went to a new server and while the board was down we lost some post from that last night. I will ask admin to see if he can recover them. they were good. Sorry, stuff happens when a transfer occurs. At least the posting time has greatly improved.

[Unregistered]

I have no problem with players switching clubs by being recruited by other clubs. If the situation is more attractive or advantagous for the players go for it. Sometimes it works and other times it does not. I've seen both outcomes when players change clubs. Yes- clubs through parents or who ever will and DO contact players to switch. This is the reality of the club soccer and high school soccer world, as our kids have been contacted in both circumstances. At the end of the day it is an individual player and families decsion to make.

[Unregistered]

I do not have a problem with clubs, even those clubs that break the rules. Almost every clubs breaks the rules to some degree, such as allowing parents and players to talk to other players. There are enough clubs that someone is always going to point a finger and state associations do ban or suspend coaches for infractions.
I have more of a problem with high schools, both private and public. They really break the rules and there is no repersussions, unless it is really extreme, (Like the Florida high school that had 5 players on their soccer team that were over age, one being 30). Private schools recruit and give "scholarships" to academically challanged players. Public schools allow players to play ono their teams that do not live in the district. There does not seem to be much oversight in regards to schools.

[Unregistered]

Trying to figure out your main question here SF2. Are you asking if it is okay to recruit or how to do it nicely?

Recruitment will always be. What is funny is that eveyone does it, there are rules against it, but no one is punished for it.

I have no issue to recruitment up to a point. I mean you have HS. I have watched all summer long a HS coach recruit kids out of district to come to his school, and yes do what you have to do to say you live in that district.
HS ball should be where you live. However, what are you going to do when they have a ton of transfer students for many different reasons. Who is going to check up on this?
All of a sudden you begin to feel like club ball.

Club ball doesn't require you to live in that area, so anything is up for grabs. The player and parent can debate if recruited on when and where to go.
Perks sort of drive me crazy though. Got a parent currently requesting for the player to be the team captain, if not then will not come over to team. Hmmm...is this kid deserving? Maybe. But what about all the other kids on the current team that have been with the team for years?

Have my kids coach who is too nice. He even went out of his way to call the opposing coach of who we were to play against that weekend to tell him he was going to have one guest player. Guest player came from our own club.
I love the respect there, but had to laugh as I watch all my other kids coaches do the complete opposite.

What gets me going is ODP. You have a coach coaching at the same U Level as the age group of ODP. This is a no brainer, should never be allowed by ODP. Should require a coach to coach ODP by two years up or two years down from their club age team. This is also included for assistant coaches as well.

So if you are asking should a coach play nice? I think it comes down to character in the end. But then again always remember it is always about the win!
Sort of makes you wonder where or if the development is still there, doesn't it?

[Unregistered]

Odp

Since you bring it up, I agree with the ODP coaching their own. The best is when an ODP coach gives private lessons, and then suprise suprise, she picks those girls over others to be on the team. Talk about a conflict of interests. (I guess only for those not using her for a keeper coach)

[Unregistered]

ODP Keeper Coach

If you are referring to , truer words were never spoken. She coaches GKs at LO and when picking her goalies for ODP... big surprise! I think half of them come from LO club. It's club favoratism at its best. What a joke!